On The Road with Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors have built a sizable following over nearly 15 years of making songs that explore themes of love, kinship, and perseverance shaded with just enough wit and honesty to ground it in reality. They recently wrapped up their tour for Dragons, Holcomb’s ninth studio album that came out earlier this year.…
On the Road at AmericanaFest
Last month, Nashville hosted AmericanaFest, now in its 20th year and bigger than ever, featuring more than 300 artists performing over the course of six days. Thanks in part to the advocacy and determination of the Americana Music Association, the nexus of genres and tradition-informed music under the umbrella of ‘Americana’ has grown into a…
Which Songs Helped You Come Out of the Closet?
Angela Weiss/Getty To celebrate National Coming Out Day, I asked the queers of the Twitterverse what music was instrumental in their coming out to the world: hey queers!! I’m really curious as to what music was instrumental in your coming out process. If you’re interested in talking to me about it for a music bit…
On the Road at Newport Folk Festival
One of the unique aspects of Newport Folk Festival, which this year celebrated its 60th anniversary, is the interconnected community of the artists who perform each year; there is a sense of musical camaraderie there among both the artists and the fans. A good percentage of performers in any given year are returning alumni, and…
David Berman Treated Ennui Seriously Enough to Make It Into a Joke
Edd Westmacott / Getty David Berman, who died Wednesday at the age of 52, was most famous as the frontman of the band Silver Jews. He wrote with a cheeky melancholia that brought him a certain kind of fame throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Some of his lyrics were infused with an offbeat surrealism that…
On the Road With Dawes
American rock band Dawes returned to the Newport Folk Festival to perform their debut album, North Hills, on the 10th anniversary of its release. The performance was an anticipated highlight of the festival and a great representation of what makes Newport Folk Fest special: collegial collaborations with fellow musicians, a sense of collective belonging between…